Washing machine and outer tub supporting structure thereof

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein are a washing machine which minimizes the number of dampers and effectively prevents vibration, and an outer tub supporting structure thereof. The washing machine includes a housing forming an external appearance of the washing machine, an outer tub provided in the housing to store water, an inner tub rotatably mounted within the outer tub, a driving device including a rotary shaft passing through the outer tub and connected to the inner tub to rotate the inner tub, a bearing surrounding the rotary shaft and fixed to the outer tub to prevent rotation of the outer tub during rotation of the rotary shaft, a bearing housing formed on the outer tub such that the bearing is mounted within the bearing housing, and a damping unit provided with a first end supporting the bearing housing and a second end fixed to the washing machine housing to reduce vibration of the outer tub.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No.2009-0077947, filed on Aug. 24, 2009 in the Korean Intellectual PropertyOffice, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

Embodiments relate to a washing machine which effectively absorbs impactand vibration of an outer tub, and an outer tub supporting structurethereof.

2. Description of the Related Art

In general, a washing machine lifts and drop laundry in an inner tub, inwhich the laundry is contained, due to rotation of the inner tub, thuswashing the laundry.

In a conventional washing machine, an inner tub within an outer tub isrotated by driving a motor located at the outside of the outer tub, andlaundry in the inner tub is rotated together with the inner tub and islifted to a designated height and dropped by a plurality of liftersprovided on the inner surface of the inner tub. Thereby, washing of thelaundry is carried out.

In order to absorb vibration generated from the inner tub of such aconventional washing machine, four damping springs are provided betweenthe outer tub and an upper surface of the washing machine, and a pair ofdampers is provided at both sides of the outer tub. Thus, vibration andnoise of the outer tub generated due to rotation of the inner tub areabsorbed by the damping springs and the dampers.

However, in the conventional washing machine, eccentric load ismomentarily generated at the rear surface of the outer tub due to thedriving force of the motor transmitted to a pulley at an initial drivingstage of the motor, and thus the outer tub is tilted to the rear surfacewhere the pulley is installed and eccentric rotation of the outer tubmay occur.

In order to prevent the eccentric load, a balance weight may be providedon a front surface part of the outer tub. However, such a method doesnot completely prevent generation of the eccentric load, thus causingdeterioration of durability of the outer tub and deterioration ofwashing performance of the washing machine.

Further, in order to prevent the eccentric load, a pair of dampers maybe installed at a front region of the lower end of the outer tub andanother pair of dampers may be installed at a rear region of the lowerend of the outer tub. However, an increase of the number of the damperscauses deterioration of assembly efficiency of the dampers, difficultyin repair of the dampers, and increase of manufacturing costs. Moreover,since the dampers are fixed to the outer circumferential surface of theouter tub under the condition that the dampers are separated from arotary shaft of the inner tub, the strength of the outer tub is lowereddue to moment during partial disposition of laundry or rotation of theinner tub.

SUMMARY

Therefore, it is an aspect of the at least one embodiment to provide awashing machine which minimizes the number of dampers and effectivelyprevents vibration, and an outer tub supporting structure thereof.

It is another aspect of the at least one embodiment to provide a washingmachine which prevents deformation of an outer tub due to vibration andmoment of an inner tub, and an outer tub supporting structure thereof.

Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description whichfollows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may belearned by practice of the invention.

The foregoing and/or other aspects are achieved by providing a washingmachine including a housing forming an external appearance of thewashing machine, an outer tub provided in the housing to store water, aninner tub rotatably mounted within the outer tub, a driving deviceincluding a rotary shaft passing through the outer tub and connected tothe inner tub to rotate the inner tub, a bearing surrounding the rotaryshaft and fixed to the outer tub to prevent rotation of the outer tubduring rotation of the rotary shaft, a bearing housing formed on theouter tub such that the bearing is mounted within the bearing housing,and a damping unit provided with a first end supporting the bearinghousing and a second end fixed to the housing to reduce vibration of theouter tub.

The washing machine may further include a pair of support membersconnected to an outer diameter part of the outer tub.

The damping unit may include a damper member, and a first bracket to fixa first end of the damper member to the bearing housing.

The damping unit may further include an elastic member provided betweenthe damper member and the first bracket to damp vibration.

The damping unit may further include a second bracket to fix a secondend of the damper member to a bottom surface of the housing.

The first end of the damping unit may be closer to a front surface ofthe housing than the second end of the damping unit.

The outer tub may include a support part on which the first bracket ismounted.

The driving device may include a driving motor fixed to an outerdiameter part of the outer tub, and a power transmission member totransmit rotary force of the driving motor to the rotary shaft.

The damping unit may further include an anti-vibration member providedbetween the first bracket and the damper member.

The first bracket may be mounted directly to the bearing housing to fixthe first end of the damper member directly to the bearing housing.

The foregoing and/or other aspects are achieved by providing a washingmachine including a first washing unit including a first outer tub, anda first inner tub rotatably provided within the first outer tub, and asecond washing unit including a second outer tub provided with a bearinghousing at the center of a rear surface thereof such that a bearing ismounted within the bearing housing, and a damping device to reducevibration of the second outer tub, wherein the second washing unit ismounted on the upper part of the first washing unit, and the dampingdevice includes a pair of support members mounted at opposite positionsof an outer diameter part of the second outer tub, and a damping unitprovided with a first end supporting the bearing housing and a secondend supported by the upper part of the first washing unit.

The damping unit may include a damper member, and a first bracket to fixa first end of the damper member to the bearing housing.

The damping unit may further include an anti-vibration member providedbetween the first bracket and the damper member.

The first end of the damping unit may be closer to a front surface ofthe second washing unit than the second end of the damping unit.

The second end of the damping unit may be connected to any one of alower surface of the second washing unit and an upper surface of thefirst washing unit.

The first washing unit may further include a pair of first damperssupporting a front portion of the outer tub, and a pair of seconddampers supporting a rear portion of the outer tub so as to support thefirst outer tub.

The foregoing and/or other aspects are achieved by providing an outertub supporting structure of a washing machine to damp vibration of anouter tub in which an inner tub is rotatably provided, is provided, andthe outer tub is supported at three points by a pair of support membersfixed to the outer circumferential surface of a front portion of theouter tub, and a damper unit provided with one end connected to abearing housing formed on a rear surface of the outer tub.

The other end of the damper unit may be arranged on a bottom surface ofa housing of the washing machine on a line extended verticallydownwardly from the center of the outer tub in the axial direction ofthe outer tub.

The damper unit may be tilted such that the end of the damper unitconnected to the bearing housing is closer to a front surface of thehousing than the other end of the damper unit.

The foregoing and/or other aspects are achieved by providing a washingmachine, including: an outer tub to store water; an inner tub rotatablymounted within the outer tub to wash laundry; a rotary shaft passingthrough the outer tub and connected to the inner tub to rotate the innertub upon receiving a driving force; a bearing housing formed on theouter tub and configured to receive a bearing surrounding the rotaryshaft; and a damping device directly supporting the bearing housing.

The foregoing and/or other aspects are achieved by providing a dampingdevice for a washing machine including a bearing housing surrounding arotary shaft passing through an outer tub at a rear surface of the outertub and connected to an inner tub disposed within the outer tub, thedamping device including: a damping unit directly supporting the bearinghousing at the rear surface of the outer tub.

The damping device may include a damper member and a bracket, and thewashing machine may include a support part at the outer tub adjacent tothe bearing housing, one end of the damper member being fixed to thebearing housing at the support part with the bracket.

The damping device may include a damper member and a bracket, one end ofthe damper member being fixed directly to the bearing housing with thebracket.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects will become apparent and more readilyappreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal-sectional view schematically illustrating awashing machine in accordance with at least one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an outer tub supportingstructure of the washing machine in accordance with at least oneembodiment;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective of a damping unit of the washingmachine in accordance with at least one embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal-sectional view illustrating an essentialportion of the washing machine in accordance with at least oneembodiment;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the outer tub supporting structure of thewashing machine in accordance with at least one embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating an outer tub supportingstructure of a washing machine in accordance with at least oneembodiment; and

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal-sectional view schematically illustrating awashing machine in accordance with at least one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the at least one embodiment,examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, whereinlike reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal-sectional view schematically illustrating awashing machine in accordance with at least one embodiment, and FIG. 2is a perspective view illustrating an outer tub supporting structure ofthe washing machine in accordance with at least one embodiment.

Further, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective of a damping unit of thewashing machine in accordance with at least one embodiment, FIG. 4 is alongitudinal-sectional view illustrating an essential portion of thewashing machine in accordance with at least one embodiment, and FIG. 5is a front view of the outer tub supporting structure of the washingmachine in accordance with at least one embodiment.

The washing machine in accordance with at least one embodiment, as shownin FIG. 1, includes a housing 10 provided in the shape of a box andforming an external appearance of the washing machine, an outer tub 20provided in the housing 10 to contain water, an inner tub 30 rotatablyinstalled in the outer tub 20, a driving device 40 transmitting rotaryforce to the inner tub 30 to rotate the inner tub 30 such that laundrycontained in the inner tub 30 is washed and spin-dried, a water supplydevice 50 to supply a detergent and water to the inside of the outer tub20, and a drain device 60 to discharge water in the outer tub 20 to theoutside of the washing machine.

An inlet 11 through which laundry is put into or taken out of the innertub 30 is formed on the inner tub 30, and a door 12 to open and closethe inlet 11 is rotatably hinged to the front surface of the housing 10.

The water supply device 50 includes first water supply hoses 51 providedin an upper region of the inside of the housing 10 to receive wash watersupplied from an external water source, a detergent container 52 to mixa detergent with the wash water and to transmit the wash watercontaining the detergent to the outer tub 20, and a second water supplyhose 53 to guide the wash water containing the detergent to the outertub 20.

The drain device 60 includes a drain pump 61 provided in a lower regionof the inside of the housing 10 to drain the wash water in the outer tub20, and drain hoses 62 and 63 connected to the drain pump 61 to guidethe wash water to the outside of the housing 10.

Although this embodiment illustrates only the basic configuration of thewashing machine, the washing machine may further include other devicesto perform additional functions, such as a drying device.

The inner tub 30 is rotatably mounted within the outer tub 20, and formsa designated space to receive laundry.

A plurality of through holes 31 connecting the inside of the inner tub30 and the outside of the inner tub 31 is formed through thecircumferential surface of the inner tub 30, and thus water supplied tothe inside of the washing machine freely moves between the outer tub 20and the inner tub 30.

At least one lifter 32 separated from other lifters by a designatedinterval is arranged in the axial direction on the inner surface of theinner tub 30. As the inner tub 30 is rotated in the regular and reversedirections, the lifter 32 lifts the laundry and then drops the laundryso as to wash the laundry.

For example, three or more lifters 32 are provided, and are arranged ata regular angle on the inner surface of the inner tub 30. If necessary,various numbers of the lifters 32 may be provided and arranged atvarious angles.

The driving device 40 to rotate the inner tub 30 is installed on theouter surface of the outer tub 20.

The driving device 40, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, includes a drivingmotor 41 fixed to an outer diameter part of the outer tub 20, a rotaryshaft 43 passing through the rear surface of the outer tub 20 and fixedto the center of the rear surface of the inner tub 30, a pulley 44connected to the rotary shaft 43 at the outside of the rear surface ofthe outer tub 20, and a belt 42 to transmit rotary force of the drivingmotor 41 to the pulley 44.

The driving device 40 is not limited to the above type, but the innertub 30 may be rotated using a direct drive motor or through a drivingmethod using a clutch differently from this embodiment, for example.

The outer tub 20 includes a cylindrical part 22 provided with an openingformed at one side surface thereof, and a cover 23 forming the inlet 11,through which the laundry is put into and taken out of the outer tub 20,at the opening of the cylindrical part 22 and closing the remainingregions of the opening of the cylindrical part 22.

A bearing housing 24, through which the rotary shaft 43 passes and onwhich a bearing 21 to prevent rotation of the outer tub 20 duringrotation of the rotary shaft 43, is formed on the rear surface of theouter tub 20.

In an embodiment, a damping device 71 and 80 to reduce swinging of theouter tub 20 due to vibration of the inner tub 30 generated by partialdisposition of mass due to weight of the laundry in the inner tub 30according to rotation of the inner tub 30 is provided.

The damping device 71 and 80, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, includes a pairof support members 71 mounted at opposite positions of the outerdiameter part of the outer tub 30, and a damping unit 80 provided withone end directly supporting the bearing housing 24 and the other endfixed to the bottom surface of the housing 10.

Ends of the support members 71 are fixed to left and right sides of theouter diameter part of the front region of the outer tub 30, and theother ends of the support members 71 are fixed to the bottom surface ofthe housing 10.

The support members 71 may employ general hydraulic or pneumaticdampers, for example.

The damping unit 80 includes a damper member 81 using hydraulic orpneumatic pressure, a first bracket 83 to fix one end of the dampermember 81 to the bearing housing 24, and a second bracket 84 to fix theother end of the damper member 81 to the bottom surface of the housing10.

An elastic member 82 to assist in damping vibration may be providedbetween the damper member 81 and the first bracket 83. Although thisembodiment exemplarily illustrates a coil spring as the elastic member82, the elastic member 82 may be provided in various types of itemsproviding an elastic function.

Anti-vibration members 85 and 86 made of rubber or silicon, for example,are respectively provided at contact portions between the first andsecond brackets 83 and 84 and the damper member 81, thus secondarilyabsorbing vibration.

The damping unit 80 is provided directly on the bearing housing 24, thuseffectively preventing damage to the outer tub 20 due to moment appliedat an initial driving stage of the driving device 40. Further, thedamping unit 80 supporting the bearing housing 24 prevents eccentricrotation of the outer tub 20 even though the conventional balance weightmounted at the opening is omitted, thereby exhibiting vibrationreduction effects.

A support part 25, on which the first bracket 83 is mounted, is formedat a portion of the outer tub 20 adjacent to the bearing housing 24.

The damper member 81 is extended vertically downwardly from the centerof the outer tub 20 and is fixed to the bottom surface of the housing10, as shown in FIG. 5, and is tilted such that the end of the dampermember 81 fixed to the bearing housing 24 is closer to the front part ofthe housing 10 than the end of the damper member 81 fixed to the bottomsurface of the housing 10, as shown in FIG. 4, thus more stably reducingvibration of the outer tub 30.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating an outer tub supportingstructure of a washing machine in accordance with at least oneembodiment.

As shown in FIG. 6, a first bracket 83′ is modified such that the dampermember 81 may be fixed directly to the external surface of the bearinghousing 24 without any separate support part at a portion of the outertub 20 adjacent to the bearing housing 24, thus enabling the dampermember 81 to be fixed more closely to the bearing housing 24. Further,the damper member 81 may be fixed to the bearing housing 24 throughvarious methods according to design.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal-sectional view schematically illustrating awashing machine in accordance with at least one embodiment.

In FIG. 7, the washing machine in accordance with at least oneembodiment includes a plurality of washing units (for example, twowashing units) vertically arranged to divisionally wash laundryaccording to amounts or kinds of the laundry. In this embodiment, afirst washing unit to wash a large amount (for example, 10 Kg or more)of laundry is installed at the lower part, and a second washing unit towash a smaller amount of laundry than that of the first washing unit isinstalled at the upper part.

Although the first and second washing units may have the same capacity,if necessary, the first and second washing units may have differentcapacities, i.e., a large capacity and a small capacity, in respect ofcharacteristics of the washing machine having plural washing units.Thereby, if a small amount of laundry is desired to be washed(particularly, in a boiling wash course), only the second washing unithaving the small capacity is operated so as to prevent unnecessary powerconsumption.

Since the second washing unit in accordance with at least one embodimenthas the same configuration as that of the washing machine in accordancewith at least another embodiment of FIG. 1 and is fixed to the upperpart of the first washing unit, some parts of the second washing unit inthis embodiment, which are substantially the same as those in theearlier embodiment, are denoted by the same reference numerals eventhough they are depicted in different drawings, and a detaileddescription thereof will thus be omitted because it is considered to beunnecessary.

The first washing unit has the same basic configuration as the washingmachine in accordance with the earlier embodiment, and thus includes ahousing 100, a door 102, an outer tub 120, an inner tub 130, a watersupply device 150, and a drain device 160.

Although this embodiment illustrates a direct-type motor as a drivingdevice 140 of the first washing unit, the driving device 140 may includea driving motor, a belt, and a pulley, as in the earlier embodiment.

In order to support the outer tub 120, a pair of first dampers 170supporting a front portion of the outer tub 120, and a pair of seconddampers 175 supporting a rear portion of the outer tub 120 are provided,thereby reducing vibration of the outer tub 120.

In this embodiment, since the second washing unit is mounted on theupper part of the first washing unit, vibration of the second washingunit may be transmitted to the first washing unit. Particularly, if thefirst and second washing units are simultaneously operated, greatervibration than vibration generated due to operation of a single washingunit may be generated. In this embodiment, since the damper member ofthe second washing unit directly supports a bearing housing to dampvibration, the vibration may be effectively reduced, thereby preventingincrease of vibration of the washing machine even if the first andsecond washing units are simultaneously operated.

Here, if the upper surface of the first washing unit and the lowersurface of the second washing unit are separately formed, the dampingdevice 71 and 80 of the second washing unit may be fixed to the lowersurface of the housing 10 of the second washing unit, and if the uppersurface of the first washing unit and the lower surface of the secondwashing unit are integrally formed using a single member, the dampingdevice 71 and 80 of the second washing unit may be fixed to the uppersurface of the housing 100 of the first washing unit.

Further, the upper surface of the first washing unit and the lowersurface of the second washing unit may be opened so as to enable theinside of the first washing unit and the inside of the second washingunit communicate with each other. In this case, a separate supportbracket is mounted between the first washing unit and the second washingunit, and the support members 71 and the damping unit 80 of the secondwashing unit are supported by the support bracket.

As is apparent from the above description, in a washing machine and anouter tub supporting structure thereof in accordance with at least oneembodiment, a damping unit directly supports a bearing housing, thusreducing vibration of an outer tub.

Although at least one embodiment has been shown and described, it wouldbe appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made inthese embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit ofthe invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and theirequivalents.

1. A washing machine, comprising: a washing machine housing forming anexternal appearance of the washing machine; an outer tub provided in thehousing to store water; an inner tub rotatably mounted within the outertub; a driving device including a rotary shaft passing through the outertub and connected to the inner tub to rotate the inner tub; a bearinghousing formed on the outer tub; a bearing surrounding the rotary shaftand mounted within the bearing housing, the bearing being fixed to theouter tub to prevent rotation of the outer tub during rotation of therotary shaft; and a damping unit provided with a first end supportingthe bearing housing and a second end fixed to the washing machinehousing to reduce vibration of the outer tub.
 2. The washing machineaccording to claim 1, further comprising a pair of support membersconnected to an outer diameter part of the outer tub.
 3. The washingmachine according to claim 1, wherein the damping unit includes a dampermember, and a first bracket to fix a first end of the damper member tothe bearing housing.
 4. The washing machine according to claim 3,wherein the damping unit further includes an elastic member providedbetween the damper member and the first bracket to damp vibration. 5.The washing machine according to claim 3, wherein the damping unitfurther includes a second bracket to fix a second end of the dampermember to a bottom surface of the washing machine housing.
 6. Thewashing machine according to claim 1, wherein the first end of thedamping unit is closer to a front surface of the washing machine housingthan the second end of the damping unit.
 7. The washing machineaccording to claim 3, wherein the first bracket is mounted directly tothe bearing housing to fix the first end of the damper member directlyto the bearing housing.
 8. The washing machine according to claim 3,wherein the outer tub includes a support part on which the first bracketis mounted.
 9. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein thedriving device includes a driving motor fixed to an outer diameter partof the outer tub, and a power transmission member to transmit rotaryforce of the driving motor to the rotary shaft.
 10. The washing machineaccording to claim 3, wherein the damping unit further includes ananti-vibration member provided between the first bracket and the dampermember.
 11. A washing machine, comprising: a first washing unitincluding a first outer tub, and a first inner tub rotatably providedwithin the first outer tub; and a second washing unit mounted on anupper part of the first washing unit, the second washing unit includinga second outer tub provided with a bearing housing at the center of arear surface thereof and a bearing mounted within the bearing housing,and a damping device to reduce vibration of the second outer tub, thedamping device including a damping unit provided with a first endsupporting the bearing housing and a second end supported by the upperpart of the first washing unit.
 12. The washing machine according toclaim 11, wherein the damping device includes a pair of support membersmounted at opposite positions of an outer diameter part of the secondouter tub.
 13. The washing machine according to claim 11, wherein thedamping unit includes a damper member, and a first bracket to fix afirst end of the damper member to the bearing housing.
 14. The washingmachine according to claim 13, wherein the damping unit further includesan anti-vibration member provided between the first bracket and thedamper member.
 15. The washing machine according to claim 11, whereinthe first end of the damping unit is closer to a front surface of thesecond washing unit than the second end of the damping unit.
 16. Thewashing machine according to claim 11, wherein the second end of thedamping unit is connected to any one of a lower surface of the secondwashing unit and an upper surface of the first washing unit.
 17. Thewashing machine according to claim 11, wherein the first washing unitfurther includes a pair of first dampers supporting a front portion ofthe outer tub, and a pair of second dampers supporting a rear portion ofthe outer tub so as to support the first outer tub.
 18. An outer tubsupporting structure of a washing machine to damp vibration of an outertub in which an inner tub is rotatably provided, the outer tubsupporting structure comprising: a pair of support members fixed to anouter circumferential surface of a front portion of the outer tub; and adamping unit provided with one end connected to a bearing housing formedon a rear surface of the outer tub.
 19. The outer tub supportingstructure according to claim 18, wherein the other end of the dampingunit is arranged on a bottom surface of a housing of the washing machineon a line extended vertically downwardly from the center of the outertub in the axial direction of the outer tub.
 20. The outer tubsupporting structure according to claim 19, wherein the damping unit istilted such that a first end of the damping unit connected to thebearing housing is closer to a front surface of the washing machinehousing than the other end of the damping unit.
 21. A washing machine,comprising: an outer tub to store water; an inner tub rotatably mountedwithin the outer tub to wash laundry; a rotary shaft passing through theouter tub and connected to the inner tub to rotate the inner tub uponreceiving a driving force; a bearing housing formed on the outer tub andconfigured to receive a bearing surrounding the rotary shaft; and adamping device directly supporting the bearing housing.
 22. A dampingdevice for a washing machine including a bearing housing surrounding arotary shaft passing through an outer tub at a rear surface of the outertub and connected to an inner tub disposed within the outer tub, thedamping device comprising: a damping unit directly supporting thebearing housing at the rear surface of the outer tub.
 23. The dampingdevice according to claim 22, wherein the damping unit includes a dampermember and a bracket, and the washing machine includes a support part atthe outer tub adjacent to the bearing housing, one end of the dampermember being fixed to the bearing housing at the support part with thebracket.
 24. The damping device according to claim 22, wherein thedamping unit includes a damper member and a bracket, one end of thedamper member being fixed directly to the bearing housing with thebracket.